Control system for capsule endoscope

Abstract

A control system for a capsule endoscope is provided. The control system includes a balance arm device, a mechanical arm, a permanent magnet and a 2-DOF rotary platform. The bottom of the balance arm device is fixed, and the active end of the balance arm device connects with a boom. The bottom of the mechanical arm is fixed, and the active end of the mechanical arm connects with a spherical hinge. The 2-DOF rotary platform is fixed below the boom and the permanent magnet is located in the 2-DOF rotary platform. The spherical hinge connects to the boom, assisting the permanent magnet to move around a fan-shaped area around a subject.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A control system for a capsule endoscope, comprising:
 a balance arm device, a mechanical arm, a permanent magnet and a 2-DOF rotary platform; 
 wherein the bottom of the balance arm device is fixed, and an active end of the balance arm device connects with a boom; 
 wherein the bottom of the mechanical arm is fixed, and an active end of the mechanical arm connects with a spherical hinge; 
 wherein the 2-DOF rotary platform is fixed below the boom and the permanent magnet is located in the 2-DOF rotary platform; 
 wherein the spherical hinge connects to the boom, assisting the permanent magnet to move around an area around a subject; 
 wherein the balance arm device drives the permanent magnet to move up and down, front and back, left and right in an area above a subject to be examined; the mechanical arm drives the boom to rotate; 
 wherein the mechanical arm comprises an object for providing support, and on the top of the object fixes a first motor, a second motor and a rear arm connected to the second motor; wherein the first motor drives the second motor and the rear arm to rotate in horizontal direction and the second motor drives the rear arm to rotate in vertical direction. 
 
     
     
       2. The control system of  claim 1 , further comprising an examination bed, and wherein the examination bed is put below the 2-DOF rotary platform, and the area between the examination bed and the 2-DOF rotary platform is an examination area of the subject. 
     
     
       3. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein the balance arm device is a pneumatic balance arm, comprising a column and a chassis for support purpose, and the top of the column connects with an upper balance arm and a lower balance arm parallel to each other. 
     
     
       4. The control system of  claim 3 , wherein the pneumatic balance arm further comprises a balance cylinder and a control box fixed on one side of the column, wherein the control box is electrically connected to the balance cylinder, and the balance cylinder is connected to the upper balance arm and the lower balance arm via a piston; wherein the control box controls the balance cylinder and drives the upper balance arm and the lower balance arm to move in vertical and horizontal directions. 
     
     
       5. The control system of  claim 3 , wherein the other ends of the upper balance arm and the lower balance arm connects with a rear terminal arm and a front terminal arm, wherein the rear terminal arm is located between the front terminal arm and the upper balance arm and the lower balance arm, wherein the upper balance arm, the lower balance arm, the rear terminal arm and the front terminal arm are rigid arms. 
     
     
       6. The control system of  claim 5 , wherein the rear terminal arm is pivotally connected to the upper balance arm and the lower balance arm, and the rear terminal arm is rotatable 360 degrees horizontally along a pivot. 
     
     
       7. The control system of  claim 5 , wherein the front terminal arm is pivotally connected to the rear terminal arm, and the front terminal arm is rotatable 360 degrees horizontally along a pivot. 
     
     
       8. The control system of  claim 5 , wherein the boom is fixed at the other end of the front terminal arm and is vertically connected to the front terminal arm. 
     
     
       9. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein the other end of the rear arm connects to the front arm through a third motor, and the third motor drives the front arm to rotate 360 degrees, wherein the spherical hinge is connected to the other end of the front arm. 
     
     
       10. The control system of  claim 9 , wherein the mechanical arm comprises a gas spring connected to the front arm, and the gas spring drives the front arm moving up and down. 
     
     
       11. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein the object is a column, and the bottom of the column is a fixed chassis or a movable chassis with wheels on the bottom; or the object a base, and the bottom of the base is fixed on a wall or hanged and fixed on a ceiling. 
     
     
       12. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein the 2-DOF rotary platform comprises a first enclosure and a second enclosure, a fourth motor fixed in the first enclosure provides a 360-degree rotation along a longitudinal axis, and a fifth motor fixed in the second enclosure provides a 360-degree rotation along a horizontal axis. 
     
     
       13. The control system of  claim 1 , further comprising a console, wherein the console drives the mechanical arm to move to adjust spatial positions of the boom to drive the permanent magnet to move in three-dimensional space, and the console detects and obtains the spatial positions of the permanent magnet, and the spatial position of the permanent magnet comprises a three-dimensional position and a two-dimensional direction. 
     
     
       14. The control system of  claim 1 , further comprising a magnetic sensor array, wherein the magnetic sensor array comprises a plurality of magnetic sensors, the magnetic sensor array detect spatial positions of the permanent magnet depends on the magnetic sensors and obtain three-dimensional position and two-dimensional direction of the permanent magnet. 
     
     
       15. The control system of  claim 13 , wherein a compensation angle of the 2-DOF rotary platform is calculated according to a displacement of the permanent magnet. 
     
     
       16. The control system of  claim 13 , wherein when the permanent magnet has a horizontal movement direction, the permanent magnet rotates from the original horizontal angle to the movement direction angle, and the deflection of the permanent magnet to the geodetic coordinate system is compensated during rotation. 
     
     
       17. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein when the 2-DOF rotary platform is moved horizontally, the permanent magnet has a deflection to the geodetic coordinate system, and to prevent the permanent magnet from deflection to the geodetic coordinate system, the horizontal deflection angle of the permanent magnet is compensated. 
     
     
       18. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein the permanent magnet controls the movement of the capsule endoscope in a digestive tract, the tangential direction of the permanent magnet rotating away from a lower gastric wall is opposite to the movement direction of the permanent magnet when the capsule endoscope is at the lower gastric wall of the digestive tract, and the tangential direction of the permanent magnet rotating away from a upper gastric wall is consistent with the movement direction of the permanent magnet when the capsule endoscope is at the upper gastric wall of the digestive tract. 
     
     
       19. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein the rotation and movement speed of the permanent magnet follows v=ω*L, wherein v is the average movement speed of the permanent magnet, ω is the average rotation angular speed of the permanent magnet, and L is the length of the capsule endoscope. 
     
     
       20. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein the balance am device is a spring assisted balance arm, comprising a base for providing support and a horizontal swing arm connected to the top of the base, wherein the other end of the horizontal swing arm connects with an upper balance arm, a lower balance arm, and a spring that are angled with the horizontal swing arm, the upper balance arm and the lower balance arm are parallel to each other, and the spring provides impetus for the upper balance arm and the lower balance arm to move upward or downward through deformation. 
     
     
       21. The control system of  claim 20 , wherein the spring is a common spring, a coil spring or a gas spring. 
     
     
       22. The control system of  claim 20 , wherein the horizontal swing arm is pivotally connected to the base, and is also pivotally connected to the upper balance arm and the lower balance arm, wherein the horizontal swing arm rotate 360 degrees horizontally along a pivot. 
     
     
       23. The control system of  claim 20 , wherein the boom is vertically connected to the other end of the upper balance arm, the lower balance arm and the spring. 
     
     
       24. The control system of  claim 20 , wherein the upper balance arm, the lower balance arm, and the horizontal swing arm are rigid arms. 
     
     
       25. The control system of  claim 1 , wherein the balance arm device is a pneumatic balance arm or a spring assisted balance arm. 
     
     
       26. The control system of  claim 25 , wherein the balance arm device and the mechanical arm are fixed to different fixing objects or a same fixing object. 
     
     
       27. The control system of  claim 26 , wherein the pneumatic balance arm is fixed to a column, and the spring assisted balance arm and the mechanical arm are fixed to a column, a base mounted on a wall surface or a base mounted on a ceiling.